Those aircraft, which cannot be resold on the international market, could be replaced temporarily by six to 12 US F-5M aircraft, refurbished by Brazil's top plane maker Embraer, according to the daily Estado de Sao Paulo.

The Rafale made by France's Dassault company is competing with US aviation giant Boeing's F/A-18 jet and Swedish maker Saab's Gripen NG for the multi-billion-dollar replacement contract.

President Dilma Rousseff has postponed a decision on the new contract on several occasions due to budget cuts linked to the slowdown of the Brazilian economy.